Co-Op/Field Experience
Students who wish to enroll in a Co-Op/Field Experience course should confer with the department chairperson and/or faculty member, and/or Director of Co-Op Field Experience for details. Requirements vary from department to department.
In order to register for Co-Op Field Experience, students must obtain the Agreement and Registration forms from the Office of Career Services. Students taking Field Experience courses which have individual course numbers (BUS 470, CSC 470) should also pick up the Agreement and Registration forms from the Office of Career Services before registration. Field Experiences may be added through the first nine weeks of the semester.
General Guidelines for the Field Experience/Internship Program:
1. Field Experience/Internship projects are defined as individualized professionally-oriented experiences undertaken with faculty to supplement or complement the student's academic program. Student projects involve working in structured institutional settings such as art galleries, hospitals, museums, religious, social or political institutions, with sport, recreational, or wellness programs, or industrial, educational or research organizations. Note that field experience differs from independent study, which is an individualized academic investigation conducted by the student under faculty supervision.
2. Departmental participation in the Field Experience/Internship Program is optional.
3. A student participating in the program must be at least a sophomore with a 2.0 GPA or better, must complete the field experience workshop organized by the Office of Career Services and meet the criteria established by the department/division and the Office of Career Services for the successful completion of a field experience/internship.
4. The number of credits that may be proposed and earned for a field experience/internship is based on the actual number of hours worked; a minimum of 45 clock hours on the job equals one semester credit hour. Registration for field experience/internship credit must have the prior approval of the faculty coordinator, department chair, employer supervisor, and the Office of Career Services. Field Experience paperwork must be turned in to the Office of Career Services within the first two weeks of starting the experience. Award of credit is based on the successful completion of the requirements as established by the faculty coordinator, employer, and student in cooperation with the Office of Career Services. Field Experience/Internships are graded S/U.
5. The approval of the Independent Study/Off-Campus Experience Committee is required whenever an individual wishes to attempt a field experience/internship, independent study, or a combination of the two, that exceeds 12 credits in any single semester.
6. No more than 13 credit hours earned in field experience/internship may be counted toward the minimum of 124 semester hours required for graduation. Exceptions to this limit may be approved by the Independent Study/Off-Campus Experience Committee.
7. Credit earned in field experience/internship may not be used to satisfy the College core requirements.
8. Departments/Divisions determine whether or or not credits earned in field experience/internship may be applied toward completion of a major.
9. Most field experience/internships are designated as 070 credit. However, some specific field or clinical experiences are offered under a course number designated by a Department/Division. Examples include:
BUS 470 ACCOUNTING INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
CSC 470 FIELD EXPERIENCE
EDU 406 STUDENT TEACHING - SECONDARY
EDU 411 STUDENT TEACHING - SPECIAL
EDU 416 STUDENT TEACHING - ELEMENTARY
EDU 417 STUDENT TEACHING - MUSIC
EDU 418 STUDENT TEACHING - MUSIC
HPE 470 CLINICAL EXPERIENCE IN ATHLETIC TRAINING
PSY 373 CLINICAL FIELD EXPERIENCE
PSY 473 CLINICAL WORK EXPERIENCE
CAS 335 CLINICAL PRACTICE
CAS 470 SUMMER THEATRE LABORATORY EXPERIENCE
10. Course assistants are undergraduate students who work with a BW faculty member in the planning and implementation of a class. Students working as course assistants are required to meet all the expectations of the Field Experience/Internship Program if they are to receive credit. As in other field experiences/internships, course assistants must have an employer (in-class supervisor) as well as a faculty coordinator and meet other criteria established by the department/division and the Office of Career Services. Credit for field experience as a course assistant is designated under the number 060.
11. Participation in the Field Experience/Internship Program is an opportunity that carries with it responsibilities. Student participants are considered representatives of Baldwin Wallace University. The University expects exemplary professional conduct and a student action or behavior which is unacceptable will result in termination of the field experience/internship and may lead to institutional sanctions.
For further details, and/or assistance in participating in an approved field experience/internship, students should contact the Office of Career Services and/or the Department/Division who will sponsor the work.